The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-08-12
MECHANICAL AUTOMATA.
Some of the Productions Of a Peculiar Line OF
Genius.
NJ. r. H. in Boston Herald.

G
told by various writer's OF the invent
i've genius OF different persons, and de,
scriptiOns are giv@a of the way in
which this genius has been expended
upon t%riles. Philip Camus describes
an extraordinary automatOn group
that was gotten up for the entertain
coach and horses-what would be des-
ignated nowadays a tirst-class turn.
out. Its road vas a table, and at
starting the coachman cracked his
whip and the horses commenced to
prance; then subsiding into a long
trOt, they continued until the whole
equipage was opposite where the king
sat. The whole thing then stopped, a
footman dismounted from the foot
board, opened the door and handed out
Il lady, who courtesying gracefully, OF.
fered a petition to his majesty and
reentered the carriage. The footman
once more resumed his place on the
footboard, the whip cracked, the
horses pranced and again went on the
long trot.
Some of the stories respecting mu.
seal automata are no less remark
able, in the Encyclopaedia Methodi-
que" DAlembert gives an account of
a gigantic flute player. It stood on o
pedestal in which some of the works
were arranged, and, not only blow in
to the flute, but, with his lips, increas-
ed or diminished the tones it forced
out OF the instrument, performing the
legato and stacCato passages perfectly.
The lingering vas also very accurate.
This marvellous hutist was exhibited
in Paris in 1888, and was made by
Jacques Vaucanson,' the prince OF
automaton Contrivers. He la
bored under many disadvantages
in constructing this marvellous
figure. A skeptic uncle, with others,
for some years laughed at all his pro-
lects. At last he seemed to be favor
ed in a singular way. He had a
severe illness and he took advantage
OF it to contrive the automaton he
had sc long dreamed of. This took
place at Grenoble, and, as Vaucanson
designed each portion of the figure,
he sent it TO be made by q different
workman, so that no one could find
out the principle of his invention.
When the pieces came home he put
them together, and when the whole
was completed, with the aid of q serv-
ant, he Crawled out OF bed. Tremb-
ling with anxiety he wound up the
works. As the first sound came from
the flute the servant, who had been a
go between with the various mech&n-
les, fell upon his knees and began to
worship his master as something more
than mortal. They both embraced
and wept for Joy to the time of the
tune the figure was playing. None of
Vaucanson's imitators have been able
to accomplish what he did in the way
of modifying sound by the action of
the lips, although several fute.play-
ing puppets have since been made.
More than forty years ago there was
an exhibition in London OF two life
sized mechanical figures that perform
ed duets. lncredulous visitors would
place their fingers on the holes OF the
flute to convince themselves that the
puppets really supplied the wind which
caused the flutes to discourse such ex-
cellent music. At Vienna, in 1909,
Maelzel, the inventor of the metro.
nome, exhibited an automatic trum-
peter as large as life, and it performed
with surprising accuracy and power.
The audience first saw on entering the
Dom a tent. Soon the curtains open
ed and Maelzel appeared, leading
the trumpeter attired in the
full uniform of an Austrian
dragon. He then pressed the left ep-
aulett of the figure and it not only
sounded all the cavalry calls then in
use, but played a march and an al
legro by Weigl, which was accompan-
led by a full band Of living musicians.
The figure then retired and reappeared
in the dress of a trumpeter of the
French guard. The inventor wound
it up or the left hip. Another touch
On the left shoulder, and forth from
the trumpet, in succession, came all
the French cavalry calls, the French
cavalry march by Dussek, and one of
Pleyels ~allegros, again accompan-
led by the orchestra. 1t has been de-
clared that the tones produced by
Maelzels automaton were even fuller
and richer than those produced by
human lips and lungss because q
mans breath imparts TO the inside OF
the instrument a moisture which in
lures the tone.
Vaucanson had never been outdone.
He made q figure which played q flag.
eolet with one hand while he struck a
tambourine with the other; but he
achieved thegreates wonders in initial.
ing animals. Hemade a duck which
became the wonder Of the world. He